Institute of Historical Research

What Institute of Historical Research does

The Institute of Historical Research (IHR) is the UK's national centre for history, founded in 1921 and operating as one of eight institutes within the University of London's School of Advanced Study. It serves academic historians at all career stages, postgraduate and early career researchers, community and heritage professionals, policy makers, and the general public through a combination of library services, digital research infrastructure, training programmes, fellowship funding, and seminar convening. The institute is headquartered in the north wing of Senate House, London, and runs the UK's largest programme of research seminars dedicated to history, with 60 seminars convened by approximately 450 historians annually, and a History & Policy network of over 500 historians.

IHR's core digital infrastructure includes British History Online (a digital library of 1,300 volumes, 40,000 images, and 10,000 historical map tiles covering 1300–1800), the Bibliography of British and Irish History (over 684,000 bibliographic records covering 55 BCE to present), Layers of London (a crowdsourced map-based history platform), and the Victoria County History (a research project active since 1899 that has produced over 6,300 parish histories and 250 Red Books across 23 English counties). Supporting outputs include the peer-reviewed Historical Research journal, Reviews in History, the On History blog, the IHR Podcast Suite, and a free Coursera MOOC on applied public history. Recent technical work includes a 2025–2027 AHRC-DFG funded collaboration with Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg on a 'data upcycling' methodology that converts medieval customs account transcripts into machine-readable data for AI-assisted analysis.

The IHR operates as a publicly funded, non-profit research institution. Its primary revenue stream is a government grant from Research England for research infrastructure, supplemented by donations and legacies through the IHR Trust (registered charity 1077592) and discretionary grants from the Victoria County History Trust (charity 1043526). Publication sales, including VCH Red Books, VCH Shorts, journal subscriptions, and book series, generate minor commercial revenue through the University of London Press. Library membership is provided free of charge to academic staff, students, and researchers, positioning access to specialist historical resources as a public good rather than a commercial product.

Name

Institute of Historical Research

Legal name

Institute of Historical Research

Website

https://history.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Institute of Historical Research is a UK national academic research institution founded in 1921 that provides library access, digital research infrastructure, training, and fellowship funding to academic historians, postgraduates, policy makers, and the public as part of the University of London's School of Advanced Study.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research Services for History

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Libraries and Archives (51921), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Libraries and Archives (519210)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC), Scholarly Society & Association Publishing (EDAGAFAK), Research Monographs & University Press Publishing (MPAJABAJ), Scholarly & Academic Multimedia (Research Videos, Interactive Figures) (EDAGALAJ)

Keywords

• Historical research services
• Digital humanities resources
• Academic library services
• Historical publication series
• Research training programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Research England Funding: Core government funding from Research England to provide research infrastructure for the UK history community.
2. IHR Trust Fundraising: The IHR Trust (registered charity number 1077592) fundraises on behalf of the Institute to help historians advance public knowledge and understanding of history, through donations, legacies, and annual fund contributions.
3. Victoria County History Trust Grants: The Victoria County History Trust (registered charity no. 1043526) makes discretionary grants to county history organisations for specific purposes such as cartography, archival research, publication costs, funded entirely by donations.
4. Library Membership (Free): The IHR Library offers free membership for academic staff, students, and researchers, with services provided at no charge to members.
5. Publication Sales: Revenue from sales of VCH Red Books, VCH Shorts, Historical Research journal subscriptions, and other published works through the University of London Press.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Institute of Historical Research provides research infrastructure, training, and digital resources to support historical scholarship in the UK. Its core deliverables include free access to specialist library collections (the Wohl Library), digital research platforms (British History Online, Bibliography of British and Irish History, Layers of London), the long-running Victoria County History publication project, postgraduate research degrees (MPhil/PhD), short courses, summer schools, and fellowships for historians. It also publishes the Historical Research journal and operates the History & Policy network connecting academic historians with government and public policy.

Product overview

The Institute of Historical Research operates as a national centre for history offering a multi-faceted portfolio of digital libraries, publications, educational programmes, research centres, and community resources. The core digital products include British History Online (digital library of 1300+ volumes covering 1300-1800), the Bibliography of British and Irish History (680,000+ bibliographic records), and Layers of London (crowdsourced map-based history platform). The Victoria County History project (founded 1899) is one of the world's longest-running research initiatives producing parish and county histories. Publications include the peer-reviewed Historical Research journal, Reviews in History, History & Policy network and Shorts series, and the On History blog. Educational offerings span MPhil/PhD programmes, research training and short courses, summer school, and the Applied Public History MOOC on Coursera. The Centre for the History of People, Place and Community coordinates place-based research including the VCH and Layers of London. The IHR Library provides free membership and access to one of the world's greatest open-shelf collections of historical materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Centre for the History of People, Place and Community (CHPPC): A centre fostering engaged, innovative research into placed histories across all regions and periods, from rural to urban and parish to metropolis.
• Victoria County History (VCH)
• History & Policy
• British History Online
• Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH)
• Layers of London
• History Lab
• History Lab Plus

Products and services

• British History Online (BHO) Digital library of printed primary and secondary sources for the study of Britain and Ireland, focusing on 1300-1800. Provides access to 1,300 volumes, 40,000 images, and 10,000 tiles of historical maps of the British Isles, for use by academic historians and researchers.
• Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH) Record of over 684,000 books, articles, essays, and history theses relating to the British and Irish past worldwide, covering all areas of British and Irish history from 55 BCE to the present day, for academic researchers.
• Layers of London Map-based history website developed by the IHR allowing users to access free historic maps of London and contribute stories, memories and histories to create a social history resource, used by community historians and the general public.
• Victoria County History (VCH) One of the world's longest-running research projects, founded 1899 and incorporated into the IHR in 1932, producing authoritative histories of English counties and parishes via the Red Books series. Has published over 6,300 individual parish histories and 250 Red Book volumes, active in 23 counties.
• VCH Shorts Concise parish and urban histories available as standalone paperback volumes and digital publications, complementing the larger VCH Red Book series, available for purchase by local historians and the general public.
• Historical Research (peer-reviewed journal) Leading peer-reviewed academic journal with international readership and reputation for historical scholarship, distributed through Wiley/University of London Press.
• Reviews in History Publication featuring reviews of historical works and resources for the history community.
• History & Policy Shorts (book series) Timely and succinct historical insights into current policy issues, published with the University of London Press for purchase by policy makers, civil servants, and informed readers.
• Applied Public History: Places, People, Stories (MOOC) Free online course on Coursera introducing applied public history, community engagement, and methods for interpreting the past, aimed at academics, heritage professionals, community groups, and the general public.
• IHR Summer School Seasonal intensive educational programme for historians and postgraduate students with daily schedules, on-site venue and accommodation options, fees, and bursaries.
• Research Training and Short Courses Training programmes and short courses for historians and professionals, including library and digital resource training, micro-credentialing, and distance learning options delivered both in-person and online.
• MPhil/PhD Programmes Research degree programmes (MPhil and PhD) for postgraduate students in history, delivered by IHR academic staff within the University of London's School of Advanced Study.
• IHR Library & Digital One of the world's greatest open-shelf collections of primary works, reference materials, and bibliographical/archival guides, and the physical home of British History Online and the Bibliography of British and Irish History. Free library membership is offered to academic staff, students, fellows, and GLAM professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 684,192 bibliographic records covering British and Irish history from 55 BCE to present
• +4 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Otto-Friedrich-Universität BambergcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAHRC-DFG funded collaboration (2025-2027) on 'Unlocking Upcycled Medieval Data' project, jointly led by Dr Justin Colson at IHR and Prof Werner Scheltjens at Bamberg. Combines digital humanities approaches with traditional documentary study of medieval customs accounts.
• European Hansemuseum / Europäisches HansemuseumsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner in the 'Unlocking Upcycled Medieval Data' AHRC-DFG collaboration, contributing expertise on medieval trade and the Hansatic network context for the customs accounts research.
• Black Cultural Archives (BCA)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Windrush Scandal research project, working to ensure the broadest possible dissemination of project findings, including a special seminar at BCA for community activists and a project roadshow visiting UK cities with significant Caribbean communities.
• Historic EnglandsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the 'Towns and the Cultural Economies of Recovery' AHRC-funded project (2021), providing expertise on heritage assets in urban renewal and levelling up contexts.
• Centre for Towns Think Tank (CfT)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the 'Towns and the Cultural Economies of Recovery' project, contributing professional expertise from the social sciences on towns and urban policy.
• NESTA Policy and Evidence Centre for the Creative IndustriessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore partner in the 'Towns and the Cultural Economies of Recovery' project, providing policy and evidence expertise on creative industries and their role in urban regeneration.
• Royal Historical SocietysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IHR works closely with the Royal Historical Society to maximise public and political understanding of history as a discipline, including joint advocacy statements such as the 2026 'Protecting What Matters' joint statement.
• Historical AssociationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IHR collaborates with the Historical Association on advocacy and public understanding of history, including joint statements on protecting critical history infrastructure.
• History UKsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IHR collaborates with History UK to advocate for the discipline of history within UK universities and beyond, working together on shared strategic goals.
• University of London (School of Advanced Study)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IHR is one of eight institutes within the University of London's School of Advanced Study, which provides institutional home, governance, and central services. SAS champions arts and humanities across the UK.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Broad incumbents

• British Library: The UK's national research library, with extensive digital collections, scholarly research services, and a public-facing mandate. Comparable to IHR as a national-level research and library institution serving historians and scholars, though broader in scope across all disciplines.
• JSTOR (ITHAKA): A large-scale digital library platform aggregating scholarly journals, books, and primary sources across the humanities. Comparable to IHR's digital library function (BHO, BBIH) but operating at much greater commercial scale with broader disciplinary coverage.
• HathiTrust Digital Library: A large-scale collaborative digital preservation repository shared by academic and research libraries worldwide. Comparable to IHR's digital library preservation role but operating at vastly greater scale across all disciplines.

Direct peers

• National Archives (UK): A UK government institution providing access to historical records, digitised primary sources, and research support. Closely comparable to IHR in providing research infrastructure, training, and digital access to primary historical materials for academic historians.
• Royal Historical Society: The UK's learned society and professional body for historians, publishing scholarly journals and providing fellowships. Directly comparable as a UK history-focussed scholarly organisation partnering with IHR, with overlapping membership and joint advocacy work.
• Historical Association: A UK educational charity supporting the study and teaching of history, publishing The Historian magazine and resources. Comparable as a UK history organisation working with teachers, students, and the public, with overlapping advocacy and joint statements with IHR.
• Senate House Library (University of London): The central library of the University of London located in the same Senate House building as the IHR. Operates as a research library serving humanities scholars, with significant special collections and digital infrastructure comparable to the IHR Library.

Emerging players

• Europeana Foundation: A European Union-funded digital platform aggregating cultural heritage content from museums, libraries, and archives across Europe. Comparable as a digital platform providing centralised access to historical primary sources, though broader in geographic scope and content type.

Others

• School of Advanced Study (University of London): The parent federation of eight institutes (including IHR) within the University of London, providing governance, advocacy, and HEIF funding. Comparable as the institutional ecosystem in which IHR operates and competes for resources and partnerships.

Regional players

• English Heritage: A UK heritage charity managing historic properties and providing research, education, and publications on English history. Listed as an IHR research partner; comparable as a UK heritage and history organisation with overlapping audiences and content production.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ihr_history
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCj1pc01YhR-XOu7imYR7qDw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-of-historical-research
• Instagraminstagram.com/instituteofhistoricalresearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institute of Historical Research